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"Chocolate Makes your Clothes Shrink",
EJ has Type 1 Diabetes |
Our journey of discovering our amazing Groodles began with Type 1 Diabetes. EJ was a very unstable diabetic child and as we were bounced around from one professional to another, I was forced to slow down, to tarry-a-moment and begin to try and find alternative ways to control diabetes. The only reason why EJ did not land up in hospital continuously was because we were at home for school and I was constantly on alert day and night, checking EJ's sugar levels, monitoring moods, colour of skin etc. EJ very soon lost her ability to feel a low coming on and would have 3 to 5 lows a day, then on occasions jump so sky high, that her monitor could not even read her Glucose levels.... only to come back to her usual down again. Professionals could not explain it, nor control it. We were desperate to help dear EJ!
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Beautiful Rosie, our first Groodle with Ebony, her sister,
wearing a 'Halti' for obedience classes. |
As I Googled I discovered Assistance Dogs for medical conditions. Cancer sniffing dogs, dogs for Autism, heart attacks, epilepsy, Post traumatic Stress Syndrome etc. and wonder of wonders dogs that could sense and alert us for diabetic highs and lows. As doggy mad, animal lovers we were 'over the moon' excited!! There were plenty of Diabetes Alert Dog organisations here in Australia, but too many rules for us and none suited our family nor EJ. So I read and read ...internet, books, and I wrote emails and talked and asked questions of people doing it. I spent weeks and months devoted to research.
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Our brilliant Groodle, Ebony:
an awesome Diabetes Alert Dog or D.A.D. |
We were very interested in Labradoodles as some in the family had allergies, and so we were looking for a hypo allergic dog. I had bred Bichons and Shi Tzus (both great for allergies) for year and years, both in NZ and Australia. But EJ was not wanting a toy dog....EJ is active and full of fun, our cowgirl, horse-crazy daughter and she wanted and needed a REAL dog, lol. She researched every breed possible, if there is a breed you have never heard of - EJ will know it and know about it - temperament, colouring, ideal breed conformation, everything. She has read piles of books on dog breeds (and even bigger piles on Dog Training, but that story will come later!) EJ was only 11 and was a petite and slight little girl, tough as can be with 3 older brothers that she was determined to outrun and outdo as often and for as long as she could. EJ was Vizla mad, Vizla crazy and we nearly gave in... but thankfully big sister and I had a serious allergic reaction when visiting a litter of Vizla puppies, making us realise it was impossible for us to live with a Vizla in the house. A powerful hunting dog, in hindsight, would have been too strong for EJ in any case! It was the issue of strength that got us researching hypo allergic, big dogs, who were also gentle as lambs, fun but not overpowering and it was a Labradoodle Breeder and Diabetes Alert Dog Trainer (in the USA) that pointed us to the most wonderful breed in the world ... Groodles. Suggesting that a Labradoodle would be far to strong and boisterous for a child to manage on their own. I am eternally grateful for this advice, it would have been a disaster to have chosen any other breed for EJ, Groodles were the best advice ever! And the more we explored the more excited we began to get.
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| Yes? I'm listening, how can I please you? |
Groodles are called "Golden Doodles" in the Americas but here in Australia because of slang, it is not considered very polite and so Groodles are the preferred name over Golden Doodles. Groodles are Golden Retrievers cross Poodles (both Standard size and Medium). The best of both worlds .... The eager-to-please, happy-go-lucky (food crazy, ball crazy, water crazy) Golden Retriever and the highly intelligent, hypo allergic wool coated Poodle. And so Groodles have earned the reputation as the best Assistance Dogs in the world! And perfect for strong but petite little EJ's needs. We had found our breed!! Glorious, wonderful, awesome and spectacular Groodles!!
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Dog training classes ....
very tiring and hot and hard work for the diabetics |
We were excited! We were ready to go ball mad with Groodles and water mad with Groodles - only how in the world would we find the most perfect Groodle? We researched again for hours and hours. We prayed for the perfect dog for EJ. We rejected breeder after breeder, mostly because too big (some verging on puppy farms) and not enough personal attention of dogs and also because of de-sexing of dogs at 6-10 weeks....far too young by far, as far I can figure out. I had never heard of it in the pure doggie world, we contract to 'limit breeding'.... and so pure bred breeders expect de-sexing to happen in that case, but at a much later stage. (These people seemed to me, to be greedy for money and to be keeping their lines, 'pure'. As a dog breeder I was not impressed. Across the board de-sexing of dogs that early was to me, not putting the health of the dogs first and exposing the young puppies to health risks for the benefit of the breeders.)
Eventually we found a wonderful breeder! Amber Kay adores her dogs, spends time with her dogs and is extremely fussy about who buys her dogs, she genuinely wants the absolute best for her dogs! We travelled 18 hours, with stops, to get to her but it was the most worthwhile long car trip I have ever been on!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/South-Coast-Groodles/202979926573300?sk=info We spent time with the grandparents and parents of the litter and took home two adorable sister puppies, who are genuinely of all the dogs I have had and bred, the best dogs I have ever had! EJ had chosen Ebony, who alerted us naturally twice in one day, although only 7 weeks old (once for a high and once for a low) ...our prayers were answered, the best Groodles Diabetes Alert Dog in the world, as far as we are concerned, had fallen into our lap, but that is another story for another day. Groodles are one of the best things that has ever happened to our family!
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Rosie, watching the dogs next door.
Our Groodles have never thought to jump the fence, they could,
if they wanted to! |
Love my Groodles! Love my Groodles! Love my Groodles, but not as much as my hubby and kids!!
